Trunk server/butler

ABSTRACT

An apparatus to assist people and minimize back strain/sprain when people are placing items into the vehicle&#39;s trunk and when people are removing items from the vehicle&#39;s trunk. The apparatus is installed in the vehicle&#39;s trunk so that the apparatus when activated, can both lift items above the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle&#39;s trunk lid rests when the vehicle&#39;s trunk lid is closed and also rearward of the location/position where the lowest portion of the vehicle&#39;s trunk lid rests when the vehicle&#39;s trunk lid is closed. The result is an easier and more convenient location/position to remove packages/items from the vehicle&#39;s trunk or to load packages/items into the vehicle&#39;s trunk to help prevent back injuries caused by bending forward to pick up packages/items from the vehicle&#39;s trunk or to place packages/items into the vehicle&#39;s trunk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to make it easier for people to place packages/items into the vehicle's trunk and to remove packages/items from the vehicle's trunk. More specifically, the invention consists of a mechanically operated platform which can be raised simultaneously upward and outward from the floor area of a vehicle's trunk and rearward relative to the front of the vehicle or lowered simultaneously downward towards the floor of the vehicle's trunk and at the same time forward relative to the front of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cut-away side view of the fully collapsed apparatus on the floor portion of the vehicle's trunk such that the upper surface of the apparatus's movable upper platform is supporting a package/item with the vehicle's trunk lid fully closed. Also shown is the apparatus's lower rigid base portion which can be either permanently fastened to the floor portion of the vehicle's trunk or can be non-permanently held on/against the floor portion of the vehicle's trunk by virtue of weight/ballast added to the lower base portion of the apparatus with the vehicle's trunk lid in the closed position.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away side view of the apparatus's movable upper platform fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward relative to the front of the vehicle such that the apparatus's movable upper platform's upper surface is supporting a package/item as well as also showing the lower rigid base with the trunk lid full open.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the movable upper platform supporting a package/item fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward relative to the front of the vehicle and in addition, a portion of the rigid base portion of the apparatus with the vehicle's trunk lid in the full open position.

FIG. 4 is a rear end view of the apparatus in the fully extended configuration with the movable upper platform's upper surface supporting a package/item with the vehicle's trunk lid in the full open position.

FIG. 5 is basically the same view as FIG. 2 additionally showing the cabling drawn by the motor shaft/spindle to pull the apparatus's movable upper platform simultaneously both up and rearward relative to the front of the vehicle by employing the pivot lift support struts thus eventually having moved the apparatus's movable upper platform into the fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward position relative to the front of the vehicle with the vehicle's trunk lid in the full open position. The apparatus operates with cabling as described in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION.

FIG. 6 is basically the same view as FIG. 2 additionally showing the gearing connected to the motor to rotate up the apparatus's pivot lift support struts in turn moving the apparatus's movable upper platform to the fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward position relative to the front of the vehicle with the vehicle's trunk lid in the full open position. The apparatus operates with gears as described in the DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION.

FIG. 7 is basically the same view as FIG. 2 additionally showing a hand operated handle to rotate up the apparatus's pivot lift support struts and in turn moving the apparatus's movable upper platform to the fully raised upward as well as the fully extended rearward position relative to the front of the vehicle with the vehicle's trunk lid in the full open position. No cable system nor gears are required, just a person's strength to move the movable upper platform to the desired lockable position for removing packages/items from the vehicle's trunk or to load packages/items in the vehicle's trunk as the movable upper platform is released from its lockable position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a cut away side view of the fully collapsed apparatus 1 positioned/located on the floor portion 2 of the vehicle's trunk 3 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 fully closed and with the apparatus's 1 moveable upper platform 5 supporting a package(s)/item(s) 6. The apparatus 1 is designed to be positioned/located/installed on the upper surface 7 of the floor portion 2 of the vehicle's trunk 3 such that the apparatus 1 is also situated in front of the rear portion 8 of the vehicle's trunk 3. Also shown is the upper surface 9 of the apparatus's movable upper platform 5 and the rigid base 10.

FIG. 2 is a cut away side view of the apparatus 1 fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward relative to the front of the vehicle with a package(s)/item(s) 6 supported on the upper surface 9 of the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 fully open. The apparatus 1 is composed of the following: a rigid base 10 which can be held in place on the upper surface 7 of the floor portion 2 of the vehicle's trunk 3 either by virtue of its weight (ballast) alone or by virtue of the rigid base 10 being permanently fastened to the upper surface 7 of the floor portion 2 of the vehicle's trunk 3. The rigid base 10 serves as a mounting device for the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 which simultaneously pivots upward and rearward to be in a position to allow people to more conveniently remove a package(s)/item(s) 6 from the vehicle's trunk 3 and which simultaneously pivots downward and forward relative to the front of the vehicle to more conveniently enable a person to place a package(s)/item(s) 6 into the vehicle's trunk 3. The apparatus's pivot lift support struts 11, connect the rigid base 10 to the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 such that as the tops of the pivot lift support struts 11 move simultaneously upward as well as rearward relative to the front of the vehicle, the 4 pivot lift support struts 11 simultaneously raise upward and move rearward relative to the front of the vehicle as does the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 and, conversely, as the tops of the pivot lift support struts 11 move forward relative to the front of the vehicle, the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 is simultaneously lowered and moved forward closer to the front of the vehicle. The pivot lift support struts 11, may be caused to rotate by several different mechanisms as discussed in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the fully raised upward as well as fully extended rearward relative to the front of the vehicle moveable upper platform 5 of the apparatus 1 supporting a package(s)/item(s) 6 and, in addition, showing a portion of the ridged base 10 portion of the apparatus 1 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 in the full open position. Also shown is the rear most location/position of the trunk 3.

FIG. 4 is a rear end view of the apparatus 1 in its fully extended upward and rearward relative to the front of the vehicle configuration with the moveable upper platform 5 of the apparatus 1 supporting a package(s)/item(s) 6 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 in the full open position.

FIG. 5 shows the apparatus 1 in the fully raised upward and rearward position supporting a package(s)/item(s) 6 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 of the vehicle's trunk 3 fully open such that the apparatus 1 is employing a cable system having a total of three cable legs as follows: whereby two cable legs 12 a and 12 b of the cable system are connected such that cable leg 12 a is connected to one side A of the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 and then is drawn over/around pulley 13 a mounted on the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchion 14 a and then drawn to the meeting point of the three legs of the cable system while cable leg 12 b is connected to the other side B of the apparatus's moveable upper platform 5 and is then drawn over/around pulley 13 b (not shown because pulley 13 b is blocked by the apparatus's moveable platform 5) mounted on the vertical of approximately vertical dual stanchion 14 b and then drawn to the meeting point of the three legs of the cable system while cable leg 12 c is connected on one end to the meeting point of the three legs of the cable system and then drawn to the output shaft/spindle 15 of the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 which is mounted on the rigid base 10 such that when the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 rotates in one direction, the output shaft/spindle winds up/draws cable leg 12 c and thus causes increased tension in the entire cable system in turn causing the moveable upper platform 5 to be drawn with the help of the rotatable pivot lift support struts 11 simultaneously both rearward towards the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b and upward from the rigid base 10 to assist in removing a package(s)/item(s) 6 from the vehicle's trunk. Conversely, as the “geared down”/ reduced output speed motor 16 rotates in the opposite direction it causes the tension in the cable system to be reduced and thus the strong force of gravity causes the moveable upper platform 5 to be pulled/drawn both down toward the rigid base 10 as well as simultaneously forward and away from the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b to assist in delivering a package(s)/item(s) 6 into the vehicle's trunk. Separate and apart from powering the movement of the movable upper platform 5, because of the inherency-in the design of the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor 16, the reduced output speed motor 16 holds its rotational position with the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor 16 in the shutdown/powered off mode, whether or not the “geared down”! reduced output speed 16 is under load, the position of the movable upper platform 5 is also held in place.

FIG. 6 shows apparatus 1 in the fully raised upward and rearward position supporting a package(s)/item(s)6 with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 of the vehicle's trunk 3 fully open such that the apparatus 1 is employing a fully geared system whereby the rotatable pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b are located directly across from each other on either side of apparatus 1 and are attached directly to a cross shaft 17 which is rotated via a right or other angled gear box 18 which is in turn driven by a direct drive shaft 19 which is in turn driven by a “geared down”/speed reduced motor 16 mounted on the base 10 such that when the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 rotates in one direction, it causes the rotation of the rotatable pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b, at the location where the pivot lift support struts are connected to the movable upper platform 5, to move simultaneously both rearward towards the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b and upward from the base 10 thus in turn causing the movable upper platform 5 to also move simultaneously rearward towards the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b as well as upward to assist in removing a package(s)/item(s) 6 from the vehicle trunk 3. Conversely, as the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 rotates in the opposite direction, it causes the rotatable pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b, at the location where the pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b are connected to the movable upper platform 5 to both move both simultaneously forward and away from the vertical or approximately vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b as well as downward toward the base 10 thus in turn causing the movable upper platform 5 to also move simultaneously both forward and away from the vertical or almost vertical dual stanchions 14 a and 14 b as well as downward toward the base 10 to assist in delivering a package(s)/item(s) 6 into the vehicle trunk 3. Again, separate and apart from powering the movement of the movable upper platform 5 because of the inherency in the design of the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 holds its rotational position when the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor 16 is shut down/powered off, whether or not the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor 16 is under load, the position of the pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b, as well as the movable upper platform 5 are held in place.

FIG. 7 shows the apparatus 1 in the fully raised upward and rearward position supporting a package(s)/item(s) 6 having reached the fully raised upward position via a hand operated handle 20 to rotate up the apparatus's pivot lift support struts 11 a and 11 b along with along with lift support struts 11 aa and 11 bb in turn moving the apparatus's movable upper platform 5 to the fully raised upward as well as the fully extended rearward position relative to the front of the vehicle with the vehicle's trunk lid 4 in the full open position. No cable system nor gears are required, just a person's strength to move the movable upper platform 5 to the desired lockable position for removing a package(s)/item(s) 6 from the vehicle's trunk 3 or to load a package(s)/item(s) 6 in the vehicle's trunk 3 as the movable upper platform 5 is released from its lockable position and gravity pulls the moveable upper platform 5 back down to the base 10 which was positioned on the upper surface 7 of the floor portion 2 of the vehicle's trunk 3. 

What we claim our invention is:
 1. A device for more conveniently removing packages/items from a vehicle trunk as well as more conveniently loading packages/items into a vehicle trunk comprising: (a) A base supporting two sets of dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions, each stanchion supporting a pulley. (b) A movable upper platform (c) A sufficient number of pivot lift support struts position on both sides of the apparatus pivotedly connecting the base to the moveable upper platform such that the scissor type movement of the pivot lift support struts relative to both the moveable upper platform and the base always causes the moveable upper platform to always remain parallel to the base and, furthermore, such that when the portion of the pivot lift support strut that pivotedly connects to the moveable upper platform moves upward the moveable upper platform not only moves upward it also moves rearward relative to the front of the vehicle itself. (d) A cable system which can also employ most any type of tensioning line such as cable itself, rope, plastics, or other types of material such that one end of the cable system is attached to the shaft/spindle of a “geared down”! reduced output speed motor mounted on the base and the other end of the cable system is divided into 2 cables such that the junction of the cables take the form of a “Y” whereby the lower part of the “Y” is connected to the“geared down”/reduced output speed motor shaft/spindle and one upper portion of the “Y” configuration travels over a pulley mounted on the dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions on one side of the apparatus while the other upper portion of the “Y” configuration travels over a pulley mounted on the dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions on the other side of the apparatus such that after both parts of the upper portion of the “Y” travel over their respective pulleys they are subsequently attached to each side of the moveable upper platform such that when the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor tensions the cable system the tension in the cable system not only draws the moveable upper platform toward the dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions but also, by virtue of the scissor rotational action of the pivot lift support struts, the moveable upper platform simultaneously rises upward and rearward relative to the front of the vehicle and conversely as the “geared down”! reduced output speed motor shaft/spindle is rotated in the opposite direction thereby reducing the tension thus allowing the relatively stronger force of gravity to pull the moveable upper platform simultaneously back down to the base and forward towards the front of the vehicle. Separate and apart from powering the movement of the moveable upper platform because of the inherency of the design of the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor holds the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor's rotational position when the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor is shut down/powered off, whether or not the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor is under load, the position of the moveable upper platform is also held in place. (e) A geared system whereby a motor which has a the “geared down”/reduced output speed shaft and which is mounted on a base such that the output shaft drives a right or other angled gearbox which in turn drives another shaft which in turn on is connected on both ends to the pivot lift support struts directly across from each other on either side of the apparatus such that as the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor shaft rotates in one direction, it causes the portion of each pivot lift support connected to the movable upper platform to move both simultaneously upward and rearward, relative to the front of the vehicle as well as toward the dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions along with the attached movable platform itself to thus assist in removing packages/items from the vehicle trunk and when the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor shaft rotates in the opposite direction, it causes the portion of both pivot lift supports on both sides of the apparatus which are attached to the movable upper platform to travel simultaneously forward relative to the front of the vehicle as well as away from the dual mounted vertical or approximately vertical stanchions and in addition downward toward the base to thus assist in inserting packages/items into the vehicle's trunk. Again, separate and apart from powering the movement of the moveable upper platform, because of the inherency in the design of the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor also allows the movable upper platform to hold its position when the “geared down”/reduced output speed motor is powered off/shut down. (f) A handle attached to the moveable upper platform such that a person can pull by hand the moveable upper platform up to a lockable position where the force of gravity will not cause the moveable upper platform to fall back to the base until the person unlocks the moveable upper platform which allows the force of gravity to pull the moveable upper platform back to the base. (g) The three methods of moving the moveable upper platform which are stated in 1 d, 1 e, and if are not necessarily the only methods of moving the moveable upper platform and thus should not limit the applicability of the patent protection for this device. (h) A “geared down”/reduced output speed motor can be either purely electrically powered or hydraulically powered via a motor which is in turn electrically powered and which is first mentioned in subsection “d” and which is additionally permanently fastened to the base.
 2. The device enables the following to happen: (a) Extracting packages and other items from the vehicle's trunk as follows: Independent of whether or not the mechanisms described in paragraphs 1 d, 1 e, or 1 f, apply, generically, the simultaneous upward and rearward movement relative to the front of the vehicle of the moveable upper platform allows the moveable upper platform to carry packages/items from the depths of the vehicle's trunk to a position both above the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid is when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed and also rearward of the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid is when the trunk lid is closed such that the packages/items are in a much easier and convenient location to be removed from the vehicle's trunk. (b) Placing packages/items into the vehicle's trunk as follows: Independent of whether or not the mechanisms described in paragraphs 1 d, 1 e, or 1 f, apply, generically, the apparatus's final location/position for extracting packages/items as stated in paragraph 2 a is also the start off/initial position of the moveable upper platform for placing packages/items into the vehicles trunk which is followed by the simultaneous downward and forward movement relative to the front of the vehicle of the moveable upper platform back into the depths of the vehicle's trunk after traveling reversibly above the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid is when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed and also forward of the location where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid is when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed such that packages/items are positioned into the depth of the vehicle's trunk.
 3. In order to more easily/conveniently install the apparatus into a vehicle trunk, (a) wheels, one wheel on either side of the apparatus, may be located in the vicinity of the portion of the apparatus that is located most forward in the vehicle trunk relative to the front of the vehicle thus allowing the apparatus to be rolled into the vehicle trunk. (b) 2 skid plates, each located along the bottom and on either side of the apparatus to allow the apparatus to more easily slide over the location/position where the lowest portion of the vehicle's trunk lid rests when the vehicle's trunk lid is closed. 